Attachment for freight-cars.



' APPLICATION FILED ATE. 30, 1910.

L. KASMAKER.

ATTACHMENT FOB. FREIGHT CABS.

Pdtented N0v.28, 1911.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. KASMAKER. ATTACHMENT FOR FREIGHT CARS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1910.

v COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO-.WASHINOTON, D.- C.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

3 SHEETBBHEBT 2.

L. KASMAKER. ATTACHMENT FOR FREIGHT CARS.

- APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1910.

Patentedv Ndv. 2s, 1911;

3 SHEETS-BEBE! 3.

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coLunulA'PLANoulArn'cn wAsmNuToN. D. C. K

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD KASMAKER, OF LESLIE, MINNESOTA.

ATTACHMENT FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Application filed April 30, 1910. Serial No. 558,656.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it' known that I, LEONARD KASMAKE a citizen of the United States, residing at Leslie, in the county of Todd and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Freight-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple and eificient device for preventing brakemen, and others, from falling between cars in stepping from the running board of one box car onto the running board of the adjacent box car.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel device and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claim.

The improved device is in the nature of attachments applied. to the upper end portions of the box cars and constituting an open guard, which, when the two cars are coupled together, spans the gap between the ends of the adjacent running boards.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the invention like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view showing portions of two box cars and showing my invention applied thereto, some parts being broken away. Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on line m m of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a fragmentary view on horizontal section taken on the line 00 m of Fig. 3.

Numeral 1 indicates the bodies of the box cars of the same having the customary running boards 2, couplers 3, and wheels 4, which latter is indicated in diagram only. The improved spanning device as preferably constructed, is made up of outer and inner, horizontally disposed bolts or plungers 5 and 6 which at their outer ends are connected to presser bars 7, and at their inner ends are arranged to slide through bearings 8 into the car adjacent, to the top thereof. As

shown, nuts 9 on the inner ends of the bolts 5 and 6 limit the outward movements thereof. A multiplicity of horizontal transversely extended bars 10 are loosely mounted on the rods 5 and 6 and the said rods being passed through the perforations therein. Coiled springs 11 are interposed between the bars 10, between the outer bar 10 and the presser bar 7 and between the inner bar 10 and the end of the car. These springs 11 keep the plungers 5 and 6 extended as far as permitted by the nuts 9, but yield so that they will permit the presser bars 7 on the adj acent ends of the two cars to be forced into an engagement whenever the space between the cars is close enough to accomplish this result. Sometimes also, the springs 11 will be kept compressed by engagement with the presser bars 7 of the two adjacent devices.

The outer end portions of the bolts 5 and 6 and the presser bars are held upward by bracket shaped springs 12. The ends of the upturned springs of which are applied loosely around the'inner and outer portions of the outside rods 5. The inner arms of the spring brackets 12 are perfectly secured to the ends of the car by staples 13 or other suitable devices. These spring brackets 12 prevent the extended ends of the yielding gap spanning device from being forced downward to any considerable extent even if the person jumping the gap between the running boards should fall onto the spanning device.

As it is well known, very many fatal acci-. dents result from persons falling between the cars while attempting to jump from the running board of one car to the running board of another car. My,improved gap spanning device will make such accidents practically impossible, as a person falling between the gap would fall onto the gap spanning device and will thus besaved from falling between the cars.

What I claim is,

The combination with a box car body having a running board, of a gap spanning device comprising a multiplicity of bolts extensively applied to the upper end portion of the said car body, a multiplicity of transverse bars applied to said bolts, springs ap- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature plied to said bolts and interposed between in presence of two witnesses. said bars and spring brackets applied to the end 01 the car below certain of said bolts LEONARD KASMAKER' 5 and connected to said bolts and serving to Witnesses: 7

support the outer end portion of the span- W. B. LYONS, ning device, substantially as described. GRANT NEWMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

